My family is huge on books, I grew up literally surrounded by books, bookshelves in every room, overstuffed with novels. When I was in 3rd grade my Mom switched homeschool curriculum to one that was more novel based. For instance we would read novels based in that particular time period along with the history textbooks. I loved it, and I attribute it for the vast amount of books I’ve read because from 3rd through 8th grade I was entrenched in novels.
My favorite part of this new curriculum that the elementary school curriculum included “read alouds”. Novels they picked that were meant to have the parent read to the child. I know to some people this sounds weird but they’ve actually done several studies about reading to your kids for longer than the “norm”, and how most kids when surveyed say they wished their parents had read to them longer.
My Mom made read alouds an event. We did it every afternoon and my sister who was in 8th grade and later high school was brought into it too. We would all camp out on our living room sofa and listen to Mama read to us. We’d do a chapter a day. Mama would buy us special coloring books and let us use the “special” pencils, the fancy artist ones to color while she read because I like my son had and still do have trouble focusing if I don’t have something to do with my hands.
For me, stories hold memories, when I think of a book I can often picture where I was when I was reading that book. I remember at least a few of the books that were read alouds. I remember the day my poor Mom was so tired she kept falling asleep while reading. We made it through the chapter, with a lot of laughter, a lot of her telling us about some weird dream she was having and a lot of patience.
One really important factor of being a mom is that I want to share that with my son. Though by the time we’ve fought our way through semi-healthy (me finally giving up and being like just get calories in you kid). Bathtime (which he loves but I have to drag him out of). I’m not really in the mood to sit there, and be patient while he gets distracted 50 times and interrupts me and talks over me to tell me that this character or that is being evil. It’s something I am constantly working on, because the rewards are incredible. The words he picks up, the smile on his face and the snuggles before he again bounces up because he can’t hold still.
Story time started out as something for me, something i wanted to share with my child. But I’m coming to realize, it has nothing to do with me, aside from my ability to keep my patience or not. It’s a way for my son who can’t sit still long enough, who spaces out or forgets easily to access other worlds, because he is not ready to learn to read yet, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like stories. It also doesn’t mean he is incapable of learning from them.
Tonight we were reading “The Lorax” by Dr. Suess, a very apropo book for the general state of the planet, in my opinion. And my sweet boy’s response to the Once-ler saying that everyone needs money, is that no one needs his money because its green and evil just like him.
They pick up so many small clues and hints about life through the picture books we read them. Yes story time is frustrating as hell, but it’s also incredibly worth it.
Tonight’s selections:
“The Lorax” by Dr. Suess
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Lorax/-6_xAwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
“Maxi the little Taxi” by Elizabeth Upton
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Maxi_the_Little_Taxi/XytwCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
“The Polar Express” by Chris Van Allsburg
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Polar_Express/sbogAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
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